Book Review: Caramel Pecan Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke @JoanneFluke @KensingtonBooks

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder
A Hannah Swensen Mystery #28
Joanne Fluke
Kensington Books, February 2022
ISBN 978-1-4967-3608-6
Hardcover

Caramel Pecan Roll Murder is the latest book in Joanne Fluke’s series featuring baker Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery.  It begins when Hannah is asked to help out Sally Laughlin owner, together with her husband Dick, of the Lake Eden Inn.  Sally is desperate for help because a fishing tournament is about to be held at the Inn with the fishermen staying there and having all their meals there.  Unfortunately, Sally’s dessert chef isn’t available for the week of the tournament due to a family emergency and Sally wants Hannah to stay at the Inn for the week of the tournament and take over the baking which Hannah agrees to do with the help of her sister Andrea.

The tournament is in full swing and is going well except for the behavior of the fishing pro, Sonny Bowman, the star of the tournament sponsor’s televised fishing show.  Sonny it seems drinks far too much and has a habit of hitting on the women present, most of whom are wives of the fishermen, which does not go over well with their husbands.

Sonny’s behavior aside, the tournament is going well until a dead body turns up.  Of course, Mike and Lonnie, the police department’s detectives are investigating but, no surprise to regular readers of this series, Hannah, an amateur sleuth, also begins her investigation.  One thing readers can always count on is that Hannah will get involved in murder investigations, aided and abetted by her family and friends!  In fact, one of the things I find amusing about this series is how she gets involved in the investigations on the thinnest possible pretext!

I liked this book.  It’s filled with several of the usual characters and while the solution to the murder makes sense, it isn’t glaringly obvious.  I also liked the recipes which, as usual, I am sure I will make someday – but probably won’t.  I recommend this book.  It is a fun read and a worthy addition to the series.

Reviewed by Melinda Drew, February 2022.

Book Review: Wolfman by Stanley Trollip @detectivekubu

Wolfman
Stanley Trollip
White Sun Books, August 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9979689-6-5
Trade Paperback

This novel has several unusual elements, elements which only enhance the atmosphere of this interesting novel. The elements worth noting include the locale–northern Minnesota, the weather–winter, and the protagonist—a Vietnamese immigrant.

Crystal Nguyen is a bright and clever TV reporter working for a small television channel in northern Minnesota. Without complete agreement from her boss, she tackles illegal poaching she discovers in the frozen north woods. Nguyen immediately finds herself working against local residents who flout the law to satisfy their need to kill, and who never completely accede to laws regarding game management. And then, a mysterious adversary arises through the modern medium of the Internet.

A sub-plot concerns her training for a local biathlon competition. As a native of southeast Asia, Crystal had zero experience with snow and target shooting with a rifle wasn’t exactly part of her personal arsenal. So, her choice of the skiing in particular serves as a neat counterpoint to her dangerous efforts to identify local poachers. Her snow-filled off days of training to shoot straighter and ski faster add an effective different rhythm to the tale.

The author’s style is brisk and straight forward. The locale is well defined and described. The author drives the tension and the events surrounding Crystal’s personal and public quests in such a careful way that by the final chapter, readers will be cheering Crystal to victory on both snowy trails.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, September 2021.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Sins of Edom, Devils Island, Reunion, Red Sky.

Book Review: Should Grace Fail by Priscilla Paton @priscilla_paton @CoffeetownPress

Should Grace Fail
A Twin Cities Mystery #2
Priscilla Paton
Coffeetown Press, December 2020
ISBN 978-1-60381-768-4
Trade Paperback

A flawed former cop who fashioned a career helping trafficked teens is found dead in a dumpster. Murdered. Veteran Saint Paul, Minnesota, detectives Deb Metzger and Erik Jansson are assigned the case, that almost immediately enmeshes them in a complicated, many-level situation. Separately and together, the pair negotiate the levels of society from the meanest of mean streets to the upper clean levels of mostly white wealthy society.

From a police chief seemingly more concerned with his back problems to a wealthy hotel scion worried about her family business reputation, to disruptive drug deals in placid lake-shore parks, Jansson and Metzger bounce and bump from lead to clue and back. And all the while each is beset by personal life difficulties they must cope with.

The novel contains a substantial group of active, flawed characters who contribute both helpful and obscuring actions and information. This group includes a lot of fascinating and even talented individuals which adds a rich texture to the story. Therapy dogs, driving ranges, a music festival and the general city characteristics are all effectively used by the author. This is a well-written, finely-paced deep dive into real city folks and urban activities. Well worth any crime novel fan’s attention.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, August 2021.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Grand Lac, Sins of Edom, Red Sky.

Book Review: Murder at Pelican Lake by Marjorie Mathison Hance @BPPress

Murder at Pelican Lake
Marjorie Mathison Hance
Beaver’s Pond Press, January 2018
ISBN 978-1-59298-610-1
Trade Paperback

Here we have a sort of semi-traditional story, not quite a cozy, set in a small lake-side community with some terrorizing incidents, a little non-explicit sex, and a variety of meaningful, warm and logical relationships.

We also have a carefully crafted mystery surrounding a sometimes lonely career woman, Carley Norgren. The setting is one of Minnesota’s prettiest lakes, surrounded by sand beaches, pines and small cabins, many owned for generations by the same families. It is here, to the cabin built by Carley’s grand-parents, that she retreats after her job in Minneapolis is abolished. At almost the same time, her lover and she have separated and her life seems to be in ruins. So Carley retreats, amid languid summer days, to recoup and recover at the lake. She has no plans, so life has a way of filling the empty spaces, but she is a strong woman and we sense early on that she will recover. Carley lands in the middle of strange and unusual goings on.

A local teen goes missing, a stranger out of the blue asks to copy certain pages from her deceased father’s research and her pet dog and bird seem at times to experience mysterious or unsettling vibrations. Then, late one night while she kayaks alone on the quiet lake, she encounters men dumping something in deep water.

All these events, strategically woven into the narrative, lead readers along step by step to surprising revelations and a satisfying conclusion. All in all a good, nicely designed and written mystery for warm summer days relaxing on the beach and carrying good binoculars for observation of life along Pelican Lake.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, May 2019.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Grand Lac, Reunion, Red Sky.

Book Review: Traces by Carl Brookins—and a Giveaway! @carlbrookins @BPPress

Traces
Carl Brookins
Beaver’s Pond Press, April 2020
ISBN 978-1-64343-897-9
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

Mystery, danger, and international intrigue confront Lockem and Kane in their second high-stakes adventure, Traces. As we wander through life, we leave evidence of our passing: footprints, DNA, connections with others. Our trails are sometimes large and vibrant, often pale and uncertain. Marjorie Kane is a retired exotic dancer who, after years of headlining in upscale venues, gradually descends into performing in meaner clubs. Looking for new adventures, she meets Alan Lockem, a retired army intelligence officer interested in continued service. Together, Lockem and Kane take on unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs to help troubled civilians and former colleagues. When Lockem is asked to retrieve a flash drive storing military records, it seems simple enough. But encounters with foreign spies, an armed home invasion, and interactions with international, federal, and local police complicate Lockem and Kane’s efforts to unravel and understand the traces of these crimes and aid their old colleagues across the pond.

When I met Marjorie Kane and Alan Lockem in their first adventure (see my 2018 review of Grand Lac), I was really drawn to this couple who are so unique and, yet, so very normal. Marjorie, in particular, naturally attracts a reader’s attention merely by her past as an exotic dancer but the point of this duo is that, like many people, they’ve reinvented themselves in their later years and they’ve done so successfully and with panache, not to mention taking much pleasure in their new lives as private investigators of a sort.

This time, Lockem and Kane set out on what should have been a fairly uneventful job but turns out to be their own personal spy thriller. Who could have guessed that Minnesota could be a hotbed of international intrigue and military secrets along with some serious danger for our investigators, these people who could be any happy, comfortable couple in any middle class neighborhood?

This is where backgrounds and life experiences come into play and Lockem and Kane prove themselves to be resilient and up to the task at hand. These are intelligent people with more than a little street smarts and that’s why I like them so much, along with a hefty dose of just plain likeability. Mr. Brookins has crafted a story full of interesting twists and a pair of protagonists I hope will be back with many more adventures 😃

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2020.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway

To enter the drawing for a
paperback copy of Traces,
leave a comment below. The
winning name will be drawn on
Monday evening, November 23rd.
Open to the US and Canada.

Book Reviews: That Left Turn at Albuquerque by Scott Phillips and Where Privacy Dies by Priscilla Paton @soho_press @priscilla_paton @CoffeetownPress

That Left Turn at Albuquerque
Scott Phillips
Soho Crime, March 2020
ISBN 978-1-64129-109-5
Hardcover

The author has assembled here an engaging and substantial cast of characters. That he is able to keep track of their criminal activities and their attitudes toward their fellow humans, as well as their active lives is quite impressive.

Most of the characters engage in illegal and scurrilous acts without apparent concern for the morality or humanity of their lives. Or for the impact their actions have on others, often innocent others. That most of their criminality is directed at other criminals may be seen by many readers as a mitigating factor. A significant number of the characters are imbued with some level of humor and see their fellow humans as actually funny at times.

Central to the story is down and out attorney, Douglas Rigby. His small, now solo practice is falling to pieces and he engages in several illegal enterprises in his attempts to stave off bankruptcy and total ruin.

Readers will be treated to bare-knuckle humor, tongue in cheek satire, up-tempo action, murder, mayhem, and a good deal of action. A somewhat peculiar, jaundiced look at society, propels the book from start to finish.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, May 2020.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Grand Lac, Reunion, Red Sky.

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Where Privacy Dies
A Twin Cities Mystery #1
Priscilla Paton
Coffeetown Press, May 2018
ISBN 978-1-60381-665-6
Trade Paperback

From the striking cover to the final resolution of murky death and the corruption by power and money of numerous characters, this rich and at times difficult novel will attract, enthrall and sometimes irk readers. Central to the story is the gradual growth of understanding and appreciation of two detectives in a Twin Cities law enforcement force titled G-Met. It’s an intriguing amalgam of special cops whose franchise covers multiple jurisdictions in the metropolitan region of East Central Minnesota. It’s an authorial creation with much interesting and intriguing potential.

Lead detective is tall lanky Erik Jansson, divorced father of a young son. He is not a typical cop one frequently finds in this genre. He’s paired with a new hire from a small city in southern Minnesota, Deb Metzger, a six-foot plus lesbian, who could competently handle the physical requirements of a corporate bodyguard. The two are not instantly simpatico and thereby inhabit a running source of minor conflict and mutual support which adds a fine level of benign conflict to the novel.

Although the title of the novel is a quickly understood clue to an important dimension of the mystery, this story turns on the deviousness and sometimes nasty inclinations of human beings who have enjoyed a high degree of success without the leavening factor of ethics and moral suasion. The narrative is tight, solid and delves neatly into ego, intrusion of technology, moral failure and the entanglement of those who would ignore their childhood schooling. A multiplicity of characters, crisp dialogue and an absence of unnecessary description adds to the richness of the novel. The novel competently reveals a fresh voice and a thoughtful look into the modern world of computer crime and our almost universal entanglement therein. I recommend this fine novel.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, March 2019.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
Traces, Grand Lac, Reunion, Red Sky.

Book Review: Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke @JoanneFluke @KensingtonBooks

Coconut Layer Cake Murder
A Hannah Swensen Mystery #25
Joanne Fluke
Kensington Books, March 2020
ISBN 978-1-4967-1889-1
Hardcover

The population of Eden Lake, Minnesota, is probably the most cookie-eating population in the country. It’s because baker and amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar, gives everyone she comes in contact with cookies.  Butterscotch and Pretzel Cookies, Confetti Blizzard Whippersnapper cookies, Strawberry and Vanilla Pinwheel Cookies—you name it. In the latest book of this long running series, Hannah and her mother travel to California to help a friend pack for a cross country move and to fit in a little sightseeing.

A panicked phone call from her younger sister brings Hannah back to Minnesota. Sister Michelle’s boyfriend, Lonnie, a deputy, is the top suspect in the murder of a friend, Darcy. Darcy had been at a bar and had been drinking too much, and Lonnie drove her home. When he was in her house, making sure she got in safely, he passed out and when he awoke next morning, she was dead. Hannah investigates, with plates of Snowflake and Ice Cookies in hand, interviewing witnesses and suspects.

Readers who like recipes with their mysteries, and who haven’t discovered the delights of Eden Lake, will be pleased to discover this series. With twenty-five books now in the series, there are a lot of mysteries to be solved, and many recipes to be tried. Recipes have detailed instructions, so even the most inexperienced cook will not be intimidated.

Reviewed by Susan Belsky, March 2020.